Drug policies; some effective, some weak, many ill-considered

Decisions on drug policy are too rarely informed by scientific evidence of their effectiveness, according to research published in the Lancet today.

The comprehensive review is the first of its kind to examine the effectiveness of all types of preventative drug policy worldwide, including policies to control the supply of drugs, prescription programmes to control pharmaceuticals, prevention programmes and health and social services for drug users.

For policies to control the supply of drugs, the research concludes that the effectiveness remains unproven, at best, and that little evidence exists that crop substitution programmes in source countries actually work.

Lead author, Prof John Strang, National Addiction Centre, said: "Much public debate in drug policy is only minimally informed by scientific evidence.  Values and political processes, such as voting, are important drivers of drug policy, but evidence of effectiveness and cost effectiveness can help the public and policy makers to select policies that best achieve agreed goals."

Of the most effective drug policies evidenced in the research, many are successful in maximising the public good - using indicators such as improved individual and public health, and reduced crime and improved quality of life - not only for individuals but also for neighbourhoods and families affected by drugs.

The authors call for drugs policy to increasingly measure success in terms of maximising the public good - a shift in emphasis from a focus on just trying to stem the supply of illegal drugs.  Supply control programmes remain important, if effective, but considerably more must be done to test their effectiveness, particularly in terms of benefiting the public good.

The National Addiction Centre is a partnership between SLaM and the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London.